62 SECTIONAL ADDRESSES. 



such methods as full-line forcing and dumping, such as was practised by 

 the German chemical industry prior to the war. The retention of a tariff 

 and other protective measures by the new producing countries will doubt- 

 less lead the German industry to form affiliations to establish branch 

 plants in those countries. The war made clear the relationship of the 

 coal-tar dye industry to the production of munitions, war gases, medicinals, 

 and other essential products, and demonstrated the desirability of home 

 dye production as a means to prevent shortage in times of war. This 

 will probably result in an effort by the large industrial nations to retain 

 dye industries of sufficient size to meet peace requirements and to provide 

 for war emergencies. Reduced production costs and constructive research 

 will be vital factors in the maintenance of their competitive place in the 

 world's trade.' 



This seems to sum up the situation with which we are at present faced. 



Publications. 



Our chemical publications grow apace — already they have outstripped 

 in number and size those produced prior to the war. If one may take the 

 Joitrnal of the Chemical Society as representing a standard example, it 

 may be noted that the number of pages published in 1914 was 2,909, 

 whilst in 1923 the number was 3,441. This was reduced in 1924 to 

 2,698 pages, but rose again in 1925 to 2,986 pages. The drop in 1923-1924 

 was not, however, due to lack of material but to the exercise of necessary 

 economy, because the costs of printing have increased- by 70 per cent, since 

 the war, and the funds of the Society could not carry the increased 

 expenditure. Until new sources of income could be created economy had 

 to take the form of asking authors to cut down their papers to the greatest 

 possible extent, and this had the effect of checking the advance for that 

 year. Nevertheless during 1925, although authors continued to co-operate 

 and still expressed their views and results in as small a space as possible, 

 the steady rise in the amount of research work carried out in the country 

 led to an increase in that year, showing that the new matter was due to 

 new research, and was not the outcome of any remissness on the part of 

 the Publications Committee. This fact is well brought out by the following 

 graph, which shows the incidence of the number of published papers and 

 the number of pages published. 



The increase is still continuing, and is a welcome sign of the healthy 

 condition in which research in chemistry stands at the present time. Still 

 it means a Journal of well over 3,000 pages for 1926, and represents a 

 condition of affairs which is shared by many other scientific societies. 



There were many national scientific shortcomings revealed by the war, 

 but it is probable that those in the chemical sciences loomed largest 

 because they were the ones which had to be rectified by makeshift arrange- 

 ments at the time, and although our national aptitude rose to the occasion, 

 and we blundered through in our usual manner, yet when time for thought 

 occurred the contrast between our state of unpreparedness and the 

 complete scientific equipment of our enemies was very marked, and gave 

 cause for earnest consideration. The result has been a great increase in 

 the numbers entering our chemical research schools and the consequent 

 output of an increased amount of new knowledge, all of which has to be 



